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Since becoming the Lightning's general manager, Steve Yzerman has dealt away three of the seven first-round picks he drafted.

In addition to his recent trade of Jonathan Drouin to Montreal, Yzerman has also parted ways with former first rounders Brett Connolly (2010) and Anthony DeAngelo (2014). "I'm not a big fan of trading away first-round picks, honestly," Yzerman said. "I'd prefer not to do it. In an ideal world, you draft these kids, you take your picture with them and you look back at the end of the career and take another picture with them. That's the plan. But it changes along the way." This time around the Lightning's first round pick will be the 14th overall. We'll see if he ends up sticking with the club. Jun 23 - 10:25 AM

Thanks to the Tampa Bay Lightning's deadline trades, the team finished below the salary cap even after bonuses were factored in.

If you finish above the salary cap after bonuses, then the difference is counted against your cap space for the following campaign. Had Lightning GM Steve Yzerman not traded Brian Boyle, Ben Bishop, and Valtteri Filppula to free up some cap space, the Lightning would have ended up with an overage penalty of close to $1.2 million. That extra money saved is a huge help for the Lightning as they look to re-sign RFAs Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Jonathan Drouin. Apr 13 - 5:39 PM

Although nothing is imminent, the Lightning could be big sellers come the trade deadline.

The Bolts are now officially a longshot to make the playoffs and GM Steve Yzerman will certainly be looking at deals involving soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Ben Bishop and restricted free agent Tyler Johnson, who may cost too much money to retain and whose retention could jeopardize deals with Jonathan Drouin and Ondrej Palat. Stay tuned. Jan 29 - 10:49 AM

Lightning GM Steve Yzerman isn't pleased about the way his team's playing right now.

Expectations were high for the Lightning coming into the season, but they've struggled with consistency. "I can't say, if I look at it all together, that I'm really pleased with where we're at at this point," Yzerman said. "The intensity, the urgency in our play hasn't been there." Yzerman is open to making moves, but admitted that he likes the way his team is built right now. The Lightning might not look great on the ice right now, but they should be able to figure things out soon. Sat, Dec 3, 2016 11:38:00 AM

Depth Charts

Steven Stamkos looked very good in his first game action since November of last year.

Stamkos registered two assists in the Bolts' 3-1 win Friday night and seemed back to his old self. This is great news for Stamkos owners and the Lightning coaching staff. Put the talented 27-year-old high on your draft lists next week.

Tyler Johnson said the long summer off has helped his body recover from the various injuries he's been dealing with.

The Lightning didn't make the playoffs last season, which means they had extra time off in April. "Injuries come when your body gets fatigued, that's pretty much what happens," Johnson said. "Sometimes you get some unlucky things here and there, but a lot of times it's fatigue. In a way, it was nice to have that break to relax. I've never had that before. But those summers are way too long. I'd rather not have them." Since becoming a full-time NHLer in 2013-14, Johnson has played more than 70 games just twice.

Coach Jon Cooper has also kept Steven Stamkos with Nikita Kucherov and Ryan Callahan with Chris Kunitz. Palat and Johnson have enjoyed success with Kucherov in the past, but they could still make for a solid second-line duo without him.

Don't be surprised if the Lightning move Alex Killorn this off-season.

Bolts' GM Steve Yzerman is under a salary cap crunch and has to re-sign core players Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin. Killorn, although a nice complimentary player, is going into the second year of a seven-year, $31.15 million contract, which may be a little excessive for a player of his worth. In order to free up some cap space to sign Johnson, Palat and Drouin, Yzerman may opt to move Killorn if possible. Keep an eye on this situation.

Don't be shocked if you find Vladislav Namestnikov on Tampa's top line once the season starts.

He had good chemistry with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov at the beginning of last season and started this season's training camp playing alongside the Bolts' two superstars. If Namestnikov can stick on this line, he wil surely better his 28-point total of 2016-17 and could be a nice sleeper pick this campaign.

Look for Chris Kunitz to get a chance to play a prominent role with the Lightning next season.

He could line up as a winger on one of the Bolts' top two lines which would mean he would flank either Steven Stamkos or Tyler Johnson. Even if Kunitz plays on Tampa's third unit, he will get plenty of power-play ice time making him late-round draft worthy.

The deal is one-way during the first season and two-way in the second. Conacher will earn $650,000 per season at the NHL level. He had one goal and three assists in 11 games with the Lightning last year. Conacher also amassed 60 points in 56 matches with Syracuse of the AHL.

Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and an assist in Friday's 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators.

Kucherov is coming off a monster season that saw him put up 40 goals and 85 points (both career-highs). The 24-year-old has season his point total go from 65 to 66 up to 85 last season. The Russian winger is one of the great offensive forwards in the league and he should be treated as such in standard fantasy leagues.

Brayden Point will get another chance to play with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov.

The trio has played well in preseason action and could be a combination that starts the regular season together. "One thing about Pointer is he's a puck hound," coach John Cooper said. "You've got a couple skilled guys on that line. You have to have someone that can go and get those guys pucks. So we're trying to see if that combination works."

It was Callahan's first NHL game since January 7 due to a hip injury. "I didn't think about my hip or anything when I was out there," Callahan said. "It's a big thing for me to get the first game out of my system, blocking shots, taking some hits, giving some hits. It's a good step." He isn't likely to be a significant offensive contributor even if he is healthy, but it'll certainly be a boost for Tampa Bay to have him back after he was limited to 18 contests last season.

The first year of the contract is one-way, while the second year is a two-way. The deal also has an annual average value of $650,000. Dumont accounted for four points in 39 games with the Lightning last season. He also had five goals and five helpers in 20 outings with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.

Alex Volkov will open Tuesday's preseason game alongside Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat.

"You've got to see if he can play with these guys," coach Jon Cooper said. "I think you have to really look at the big picture and see how this is going to work over the long haul, but he's more than earned his right to be here with this team right now. We'll just keep putting him in these games and see how he does. He's a little bit of an unknown for us in a sense in that he's recently drafted and hasn't come through our system. We haven't gotten to see a whole ton of him, but what we have seen we really like. That's why he's still here." Volkov had two goals in Sunday's game against the Panthers and he has earned a longer look with the Lightning even though he is still a long shot to start the season in the NHL.

Hedman was often overshadowed by defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, who are the other two nominees, but he was terrific in his own right. Hedman finished the 2016-17 season with 16 goals and 72 points in 79 games this season. "I'm being put in situations to be successful," Hedman said after the season. "I've obviously felt more comfortable on the power play. I've felt more comfortable playing that offensive role. We had to be able to produce, and that's been kind of what I expect of myself, to be one of the leaders, especially when we were in a big hole." Hedman won't win the Norris Trophy, but there's no denying how good he was this season.

"It's one of those little things that you just have to look after a little bit," Stralman said. "It's nothing serious. I'm just getting a little bit older and small stuff crops up like that. We just have to monitor it and make sure we're staying on top of things." He hopes to play in two of the final three exhibition contests. Stralman resumed practices with contact over the weekend and was paired with Mikhail Sergachev on Monday.

It's unclear when or if Jake Dotchin will see any preseason action before the start of the 2017-18 campaign.

Dotchin has not seen any exhibition playing time because he violated an unspecified team rule. "Obviously it's hurting me," Dotchin said. "I want to be in there, I want to play every night. I'm doing what I can right now, working hard in practice and when I get a chance to go, I'll be ready to go." Tampa Bay could have eight defenders on the opening roster, so Dotchin is missing out on valuable chances to prove himself.

It's an amusing, but purely coincidental set of circumstances. Girardi was naturally looking for a place to buy in Tampa and showed one he was interested in to Ryan Callahan, who's another former New York Rangers player that's now part of the Lightning. "Um, I'm pretty sure that's the GM's house," Callahan replied. Girardi and Yzerman, who had already moved into a new place, didn't have much in the way of interaction over the sale as it was handled through their agents. Still, it can't hurt to have bought the boss' house. It's also a nice aside as Yzerman was a big part of the reason why Girardi chose Tampa Bay as the GM personally called him to make the pitch.

Andrej Sustr could end up being a trade candidate going into the season.

Tampa Bay might have as many as eight NHL-ready defensemen if Mikhail Sergachev manages to claim a roster spot out of training camp. GM Steve Yzerman is open to the possibility of carrying eight rearguards, but it's not an ideal situation.

Slater Koekkoek believes he has "something to prove," as he looks to secure a roster spot with the Lightning this season.

"I was in Syracuse last year, that's not where I wanted to be," he said. "I thought I did that in the (AHL) playoffs, I showed that I had something to prove." Koekkoek has skated in 41 NHL contests over the last three seasons, including 29 last year. Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman doesn't mind having eight defenseman on the roster going into the season.

Mikhail Sergachev appears as though he could at least start the regular season with the Lightning.

Sergachev hasn't looked out of place, while skating in three straight exhibition games. He has logged more than 20 minutes in each outing, while seeing time on the power play and penalty kill. The 19-year-old can still be returned to junior, so he will have to prove he can play regularly in Tampa Bay's top-six defense group to stay with the big club.

Vasilevskiy has two shutouts and a .953 save percentage at the tournament so far. He will be the starter for the Lightning next season barring an injury. He was 23-17-7 this season with a 2.61 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Expect more from the 22-year-old netminder in 2017-18 with a healthier Lightning lineup.

Peter Budaj has reportedly inked a two-year, $2.05 million extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Budaj started the 2016-17 campaign in the minors, but he soon found himself as the Kings' starting goaltender after the Kings lost Jonathan Quick. Quick missed most of the season, but Los Angeles traded Budaj to Tampa Bay on Feb. 26. Between the two teams, Budaj posted a 2.18 GAA and .915 save percentage in 60 contests. The Lightning will be looking at him as a backup, but given that Andrei Vasilevskiy is still fairly young, Budaj might end up with a fair amount of playing time in that role.